Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.12

Prabhupāda: [prema-dhvani] Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to you Prabhupāda. [devotees offer obeisances]

Prabhupāda: So? Begin.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

Prabhupāda: This verse is finished? Twelve?

Pradyumna: Er, we didn't do all the purport.

Prabhupāda: No, then repeat this verse, tac chraddadhānā munayo.

Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

tac chraddadhānā munayo jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁ bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā [SB 1.2.12]

Prabhupāda: Next, anyone?

[interrupts and corrects pronunciation]

We are repeating so that by hearing the sound, you can practice. You should be attentive. By... [chanting resumes] Now girls, anyone? [girl devotee chants] Very good. Thank you. Yes. She has done better than all of you. [laughter] All right. [chanting resumes] Yes. That's all.

[07:27]

So people, they sometimes say, "Can you show me God? Have you seen God?" These questions sometimes we meet. So the answer is here. Yes, you can see God. Everyone can see God. I am also seeing God. But there must be the qualification. Just like God is there... Suppose a motorcar is there, something is wrong there. Everyone is seeing. But one engineer or mechanic, he sees differently. Therefore we have to go there. "What is the wrong in this car? It is not running." He immediately touches some machine part; it runs.

So these rascal, they do not know that "How I can see God if I have not the qualification?" The machine has gone wrong, I am seeing the machine. And the engineer, the mechanic, he is also seeing the machine. But his seeing and my seeing is different. He's qualified to see. Therefore when the machine has gone wrong, immediately he touches some part, it runs. So if for a machine we require so much qualification, and we want to see God without any qualification? Just see the fun. Without any qualification. Rascal, they are so rascal, so fool, that they want to see God with their nuisance qualification.

Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ [Bg 7.25]:

[I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-māyā]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.]

"I am not exposed to everyone. Yogamāyā, yogamāyā is covering." So how you can see God? But this rascaldom is going on, that "Can you show me God? Have you seen God?" God has become just like a plaything: "Here is God. He is incarnation of God." Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

They are sinful, rascals, fools, lowest of the mankind. They inquire like that: "Can you show me God?" What qualification you have acquired, that you can see God?

Here is the qualification. What is that? Tac chraddadhānā munayaḥ. One must be first of all faithful. Faithful. Śraddadhānāḥ. He must be very much eager to see God, actually. Not that as a proclivity, frivolous thing, "Can you show me God?" a magic, just like God is a magic. No. He must be very serious: "Yes, if there is God... We have seen, we have been informed about God. So I must see."

There is a story in this connection. It is very instructive; try to hear. One professional reciter was reciting about Bhāgavata, and he was describing that Kṛṣṅa, being very highly decorated with all jewels, He is sent for tending the cows in the forest. So there was a thief in that meeting. So he thought that "Why not then go to Vṛndāvana and plunder this boy? He is in the forest with so many valuable jewels. I can go there and catch the child and take the..., all the jewels." That was his intention. So, he was serious that "I must find out that boy. Then in one night I shall become millionaire. So much jewelries." No.

So he went there, but his qualification was that "I must see Kṛṣṅa, I must see Kṛṣṅa." That anxiety, that eagerness, made it possible that in Vṛndāvana he saw Kṛṣṅa. He saw Kṛṣṅa the same way as he was informed by the Bhāgavata reader. Then he saw, "Oh, oh, You are so nice boy, Kṛṣṅa." So he began to flatter. He thought that "Flattering, I shall take all the jewels." [laughter]

So when he proposed his real business, "So may I take some of Your these ornaments? You are so rich." "No, no, no. You... My mother will be angry. I cannot..." [laughter] Kṛṣṅa as a child. So he became more and more eager for Kṛṣṅa. And then... By Kṛṣṅa's association, he has already become purified. Then at last Kṛṣṅa said, "All right, you can take." Then he became a devotee, immediately.

Because by Kṛṣṅa's association... So some way or other, we should come in contact with Kṛṣṅa. Some way or other. Then we'll be purified. Kāmād bhayād dveṣyāt. Just like the gopīs. The gopīs came to Kṛṣṅa being captivated by His beautiful feature. They were young girls, and Kṛṣṅa was so beautiful. So actually, they came to Kṛṣṅa being lusty, but Kṛṣṅa is so pure that they became first-class devotee.

There is no comparison of their devotion. Because they loved Kṛṣṅa with heart and soul. That is the qualification. That is the qualification. They loved so much Kṛṣṅa that they didn't care for family, for reputation. When they were going at dead of night... Kṛṣṅa's flute was there, and they were all fleeing. Their father, their brother, their husband: "Where you are going? Where you are going in this dead of night?" They didn't care. They neglected their children, their family, everything: "We must go to Kṛṣṅa."

So this is required. We must be very, very eager so that... And many gopīs who were forcibly stopped going to Kṛṣṅa, they lost their life. Just see how much eager they are. So this eagerness is wanted. Then you can see God. Either you become lusty or a thief or a murderer or whatever it may be, some way or other, if you develop this eagerness, that "I must see Kṛṣṅa," then Kṛṣṅa will be seen.

So here is... The first thing is how much eager you are to see Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa will respond. If you are actually eager to see Kṛṣṅa... It, the reason may be different—either you are lusty or to steal His ornament, or—some way or other you become attracted to Kṛṣṅa, then your business is successful. Rūpa Gosvāmī has advised that... He says in a poetry. It is on the matter of the gopīs talking. One gopī is advising another gopī that "My dear friend..."

Smerān candrakeṅa vaṁśīnyastādhara ujjvalāṁ candrakeṅa keśi-tīrthopakaṅṭhe govindākhyāṁ mā prekṣiṣṭhāstava yadi sakhe! bandhu-saṅge 'sti raṅgaḥ.

The idea is that one gopī is advising another gopī, "My dear friend, there is one boy, His name is Govinda. He is standing on the bank of Yamunā near the Keśi-ghāṭa, and He's playing on His flute. And He's so beautiful that especially during full moon night, please do not go there." [laughter] Why? "Now, because if you have got intention to enjoy in this material world with your family members, wife, children, husband, please do not go there." Smerān bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṅa-dṛṣṭim. Bhaṅgī-traya: Kṛṣṅa always stands in three-curved way with His flute. That is Kṛṣṅa's tri-bhaṅga-murāri. Tri-bhaṅga. Three places, He is bent. So,

smerān bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṅa-dṛṣṭiṁ mā prekṣiṣṭhāstava sakhe yadi bandhu-saṅge 'sti raṅgaḥ

"If you think that you will enjoy more your life in this material world, then you do not go there. You do not go there."

The idea is that if you once see Kṛṣṅa, then you will forget all this nonsense material enjoyment. That is seeing Kṛṣṅa. No more. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce [Cc Madhya 22.42]:

[[When he was being blessed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Dhruva Mahārāja said:] ’O my Lord, because I was seeking an opulent material position, I was performing severe types of penance and austerity. Now I have gotten You, who are very difficult for the great demigods, saintly persons and kings to attain. I was searching after a piece of glass, but instead I have found a most valuable jewel. Therefore I am so satisfied that I do not wish to ask any benediction from You.]

"My dear Lord I don't want anything." Dhruva Mahārāja... Dhruva Mahārāja went to see Kṛṣṅa to get the kingdom of his father, but when he saw Kṛṣṅa, Viṣṅu... Viṣṅu offered, "Now, whatever benediction you want, you take." He said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: "My dear Lord, I have no more any desire." That is Kṛṣṅa seeing. That if you want to see Kṛṣṅa for some business, that "I shall see Kṛṣṅa..." Just like... Of course, if you are eager to see Kṛṣṅa, the motive may be different, but somehow or other, due to your eagerness, you'll see Kṛṣṅa. That is the only qualification.

In another poetry Rūpa Gosvāmī says, kṛṣṅa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ kriyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate [Padyāvalī 14]. The our this Kṛṣṅa consciousness, I have taken this from this word kṛṣṅa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ. This is actual translation in Sanskrit or... Kṛṣṅa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvanāmṛta. So Rūpa Gosvāmī advises that "Kṛṣṅa consciousness, if it is possible, please purchase. Don't delay." Kṛṣṅa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvanāmṛta kriyatām. "Purchase immediately!"

Kṛṣṅa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvanāmṛta kriyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi. "Where it is available? It is very nice thing." "Yes, it is available. You can purchase. The movement is going on." "And what is the price?" "Price?" "It is such a nice thing; you have to pay price?" "Yes, there is price." "What is that?" Tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam: "Simply your eagerness. That is price. This price you have to pay." Then you get Kṛṣṅa. Immediately.

Kṛṣṅa is not poor. And the Kṛṣṅa-seller, the Kṛṣṅa devotee, he is also not poor. He can distribute Kṛṣṅa free. And he's doing that. Simply you have to purchase by your eagerness. That is wanted. Tatra laulyam. "Oh, eagerness? I have got eagerness." "Oh, it is not so easy." Tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyaṁ janma-koṭi-sukṛtibhir na labhyate: "This eagerness cannot be achieved even by pious activities for millions of births." If you simply go on doing pious activities... Because without being pious, you cannot approach Kṛṣṅa. So if you go on doing simply pious..., janma-koṭi-sukṛtaiḥ... Sukṛti means pious activities, simply pious. Still, this eagerness is not awakened.

So this eagerness is very important thing. But it can be awakened by the association of devotees. Therefore we are giving chance to everyone to invoke that eagerness. Then you will see God eye to eye. It is not difficult. Tac chraddadhānā munayaḥ. Those who have developed that eagerness, faith, that "I must see Kṛṣṅa in this life..." This life is meant for seeing Kṛṣṅa. It is not meant for becoming dogs and hogs. Unfortunately, the whole civilization is going on, they are being trained to become dogs and hogs. It is the only institution that is teaching people how to see Kṛṣṅa.

This is the only institution, this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. It is so important. Tac chraddadhānā munayo jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā [SB 1.2.12]. By eagerness, automatically you will be enriched with knowledge and detachment. Knowledge does not mean, "Now we have discovered this atomic bomb." That is not knowledge. What knowledge this is? People are dying. You have discovered something which will accelerate death. But we are giving some knowledge to stop death. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. This is knowledge. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā. And as soon as you get this knowledge, automatically you become detached to all this nonsense material happiness.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Jaya! All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [devotees offer obeisances] [end]